Methods and Apparatus Configurations for Affecting Movement of Fluids Within a Microelectronic Topography Processing Chamber and a Method for Passivating Hardware Within a Microelectronic Topography Processing Chamber

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for processing microelectronic topographies, a method of use of such an apparatus, and a method for passivating hardware of microelectronic processing chambers are provided. The apparatus includes a substrate holder configured to support a microelectronic topography and a rotatable case with sidewalls arranged on opposing sides of the substrate holder. The method of using such an apparatus includes positioning a microelectronic topography upon a substrate holder of a processing chamber, exposing the microelectronic topography to a fluid within the processing chamber, and rotating a case of the processing chamber. The rotation is sufficient to affect movement of the fluid relative to the surface of the microelectronic topography. A method for passivating hardware of a microelectronic processing chamber includes exposing the hardware to an organic compound and subsequently exposing the hardware to an agent configured to form polar bonds with the organic compound.

CONTINUING DATA

The present application is a divisional application from U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/616,367 filed Nov. 11, 2009 which is adivisional application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/199,657filed Aug. 9, 2005 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/599,975 filed Aug. 9, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to methods and configurationspertaining to microelectronic topography processing chambers and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus configurations for affectingmovement of fluids within a microelectronic topography processingchamber and further to a method for passivating hardware within amicroelectronic topography processing chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art

The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior artby virtue of their inclusion within this section.

It is generally advantageous to avoid contamination of microelectronicdevices during processing and, as such, many processes are performedwithin chambers shielded from sources of particles, humidity, andoxidizing atmospheres. In some cases, however, processes performed uponmicroelectronic topographies and/or the chamber itself may be a sourceof contamination. For example, deposition processes may be apt todeposit films upon components of a chamber as well as themicroelectronic topography intended for the film deposition. In somecases, the adherence of a film to the components of the chamber may beweak and, therefore, the film may be susceptible to breaking off duringthe deposition process or during subsequent deposition processes, eitherof which may lead to contamination of a microelectronic topography. Inaddition or alternatively, a build-up of films on interior surfaces of achamber may be susceptible to flaking and, thus, may undesirablycontaminate more and more microelectronic topographies over time. Filmdeposition upon chamber components may be particularly incidental inelectroless plating processes. In particular, pretreatment processesused for activating a surface to be plated by electroless depositiontechniques may also activate hardware within the plating chamber and,consequently, the hardware may be plated with a film.

Another common problem with wet chemistry deposition processes, such aselectroless plating or electroplating, for example, is propensity toform a film of non-uniform thickness. In particular, a wet chemistrydeposition process may be susceptible to the formation of gas bubbles onthe surface of the topography, which may be due in part to the evolutionof hydrogen during the reduction-oxidation of the process and/or by ahigh level of hydrophobicity within the substrate of the wafer. The gasbubbles prevent a material from being deposited uniformly upon asubstrate surface, potentially depositing a layer outside the thicknessvariation specifications of the process. In some embodiments,non-uniformity of thickness within a film deposited from wet chemistrydeposition techniques may be additionally or alternatively caused by alack of uniformity of deposition solution distribution across amicroelectronic topography. For example, in embodiments in which adispense arm or a shower head is used to dispense a deposition solutionupon a microelectronic topography, more of the solution may lie in theregion of dispensement than in other areas of the topography. In somecases, the lack of solution distribution from the dispense arm orshowerhead is resolved by rotating the microelectronic topography duringthe deposition process. Rotation of the topography, however, requirescontinuous delivery of the process solution, increasing solutionconsumption and, in turn, increasing manufacturing costs andenvironmental detriments.

It would, therefore, be desirable to develop chamber configurations andmethods for uniformly distributing a deposition solution across amicroelectronic topography without considerably increasing theconsumption of solution during processing. In addition, it would bebeneficial for such configurations and methods to inhibit the formationof bubbles on surfaces of microelectronic topographies. Furthermore, itwould be advantageous to develop a method for passivating hardware of amicroelectronic process chamber such that films may be prevented frombeing deposited thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems outlined above may be in large part addressed by animproved apparatus for processing microelectronic topographies and amethod of use of such an apparatus. In addition, a method forpassivating hardware of microelectronic processing chambers addressessome of the aforementioned problems. The following are mere exemplaryembodiments of the methods and apparatus and are not to be construed inany way to limit the subject matter of the claims.

An embodiment of the apparatus includes a substrate holder configured tosupport a microelectronic topography and a rotatable case with sidewallsarranged on opposing sides of the substrate holder.

An embodiment of one of the methods includes positioning themicroelectronic topography upon a substrate holder of a processingchamber and exposing the microelectronic topography to a fluid withinthe processing chamber. The method further includes rotating a case ofthe processing chamber, which is disposed along opposing sides of thesubstrate holder. The rotation is sufficient to affect movement of thefluid relative to the surface of the microelectronic topography.

Another embodiment of the methods includes exposing hardware of amicroelectronic processing chamber to an organic compound andsubsequently exposing the hardware to an agent configured to form polarbonds with the organic compound.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a microelectronicprocessing chamber during which the chamber and a substrate holderarranged therein are rotated in the same direction;

FIG. 1B depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the microelectronicprocessing chamber depicted in FIG. 1A during which the chamber and thesubstrate holder are rotated in opposite directions;

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an alternativemicroelectronic processing chamber in which the chamber and a substrateholder arranged therein are configured to rotate;

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for processing amicroelectronic topography using the microelectronic processing chambersillustrated in FIGS. 1A-2; and

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for passivatinghardware within a microelectronic processing chamber.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to limit the invention to theparticular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the drawings, exemplary configurations of microelectronicprocessing chambers having a rotatable case are illustrated in FIGS.1A-2. In addition, a flowchart of an exemplary method for processing amicroelectronic topography using such chamber configurations isillustrated in FIG. 3. Furthermore, a flowchart of a method forpassivating hardware of a microelectronic processing chamber is shown inFIG. 4. Turning to FIG. 1A, microelectronic processing chamber 10 isshown including substrate holder 14 disposed within rotatable casing 12.More specifically, microelectronic processing chamber 10 is shown withrotatable casing 12 having sidewalls disposed along opposing sides ofsubstrate holder 14 and further having upper and lower wallsrespectively disposed above and below substrate holder 14, such thatsubstrate holder 14 is enclosed within casing 12. In some embodiments,rotatable casing 12 may be the outermost case of microelectronicprocessing chamber 10. In other embodiments, however, rotatable casing12 may be a container interior to the chamber apparatus. It is notedthat rotatable casing 12 may not necessarily be an enclosed structure.Rather, microelectronic processing chamber 10 may alternatively includean open-faced cup structure which is configured to rotate aboutsubstrate holder 14, such as shown and described below in reference toFIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1A, substrate holder 14 may be configured to supportmicroelectronic topography W. Microelectronic topography W is not acomponent of microelectronic processing chamber 10, but is shown in FIG.1A to illustrate the placement of a topography within the chamber forprocessing. In general, the term “microelectronic topography” may referto a substrate resulting from or used for the fabrication of amicroelectronic device or circuit, such as an integrated circuit, forexample. In general, microelectronic processing chamber 10 may beconfigured to allow loading and unloading of microelectronic topographyW in and out of the chamber. For example, casing 12 may include aloading port along its sidewalls with a gate casing configured to sealthe port for processing. In addition or alternatively, casing 12 mayinclude a detachable cover.

In any case, microelectronic processing chamber 10 may, in someembodiments, include dispense arm 24 for introducing processing fluidsonto microelectronic topography W as shown in FIG. 1A. It is noted thatthe use of a dispense arm for introducing processing fluids intomicroelectronic processing chamber 10 is exemplary and the chamber isnot necessarily so restricted. In particular, microelectronic processingchamber 10 may additionally or alternatively include other means forintroducing processing fluids into the chamber, such as but not limitedto showerheads and inlets along the sidewalls of casing 12. In any ofsuch cases, rotatable casing 12 may include one or more of outlets 26 bywhich to output processing fluids. In some embodiments, microelectronicprocessing chamber 10 may include a heater, such as a resistive, IR, ormicrowave heater, attached to casing 12 to provide contact solutionheating.

In general, microelectronic processing chamber 10 may be configured torotate casing 12. In particular, microelectronic processing chamber 10may include shaft 16 coupled to casing 12 and further include rotationmechanism 18 coupled to shaft 16. More specifically, shaft 16 may befixedly attached to casing 12 such that upon rotation of shaft 16 byrotation mechanism 18 casing 12 is rotated. In some embodiments,microelectronic processing chamber 10 may be further configured torotate substrate holder 14. In particular, microelectronic processingchamber 10 may, in some embodiments, include shaft 20 coupled tosubstrate holder 14 and further include rotation mechanism 22 coupled toshaft 20 as shown in FIG. 1A. In such embodiments, shaft 20 may besealably moveable within casing 12, such that the rotation of shaft 20does not affect the rotation of casing 12. In other embodiments,substrate holder 14 may not be configured to rotate and, thus, rotationmechanism 22 may be omitted from microelectronic processing chamber 10.

In general, rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 may include any means by whichto rotate shafts 16 and 22, which in turn rotate casing 12 and substrateholder 14, respectively. For instance, rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 mayinclude motors, gear wheels and, in some cases, pulleys by which torotate shafts 16 and 22. Other components known for inducing rotation ofstructures may also or alternatively be used as apparent to thoseskilled in the art. In some embodiments, rotation mechanisms 18 and 22may be programmed with or programmable for specific speed, direction ofrotation, duration, and frequency for particular processes ofmicroelectronic processing chamber 10. In other embodiments, suchprogram instructions adaptations may be a separate feature withinmicroelectronic processing chamber 10, but may be configured to accessrotation mechanisms 18 and 22. The speeds at which rotation mechanisms18 and 22 are configured to rotate casing 12 and substrate holder 14 maybe similar or different relative to each other, but may generally bebetween approximately 0 rpm and approximately 8000 rpm, or morespecifically between approximately 40 rpm and approximately 1200 rpm.The duration of rotation may be as short as approximately 0.5 seconds upto continual rotation throughout a process or through several processes.Faster or shorter rotational speeds and/or longer or shorter durationsmay be employed, depending on the deposition chemistry and the layer tobe formed.

In some embodiments, rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 may be used toindividually rotate shafts 16 and 18. In other cases, however, a singlerotation mechanism may be configured to rotate shafts 16 and 18 and,therefore, one of rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 may be coupled to bothof shafts 16 and 18 and the other rotation mechanism may be omitted insome embodiments. In either of such cases, the speed, direction ofrotation, and duration of rotation of casing 12 and substrate holder 14may, in some embodiments, be set independent from each other. Inalternative configurations, microelectronic processing chamber 10 may beconfigured to rotate casing 12 and substrate 14 such that at least oneaspect of the rotation of casing 12 is dependent on the rotation ofsubstrate 14 or vice versa. In particular, microelectronic processingchamber 10 may, in some embodiments, be configured to rotate casing 12in a direction based upon the direction of rotation of substrate holder14 or vice versa. In addition or alternatively, microelectronicprocessing chamber 10 may be configured to rotate casing 12 andsubstrate holder 14 at speeds which are proportional to each other.Furthermore, the initiation and/or termination of rotation of either ofcasing 12 and substrate holder 14 may be dependent on each other.

In any of such cases, rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 may be configured torotate each of casing 12 and substrate holder 14 in a single directionor in both counter and clockwise directions. For instance, rotationmechanisms 18 and 22 may, in some embodiments, be configured to rotatecasing 12 and substrate holder 14 each in a single fixed direction,either in the same direction or in opposite directions. In otherembodiments, one of rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 may be configured torotate casing 12 or substrate holder 14 in both clockwise andcounterclockwise directions while the other of rotation mechanisms 18and 22 may be configured to rotate casing 12 or substrate holder 14 in asingle fixed direction. In yet other cases, each of rotation mechanisms18 and 22 may be configured to rotate casing 12 and substrate holder 14in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.

As such, although shafts 16 and 20 are shown in FIG. 1A as rotating inclockwise and counterclockwise directions, respectively, microelectronicprocessing chamber 10 is not necessarily so limited. In particular,microelectronic processing chamber 10 may be configured to rotate shaft16 and casing 12 in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1B or,in addition or alternatively, microelectronic processing chamber 10 maybe configured to rotate shaft 20 and substrate holder 14 in a clockwisedirection. As will be discussed in more detail below in reference toFIG. 3, a method for processing a microelectronic topography may includealtering the relative directions of a case and a substrate holder withina processing chamber. To help describe such a method, counter-rotationand co-rotation of casing 12 and substrate 14 are shown in FIGS. 1A and1B, respectively, and are described in conjunction within FIG. 3.

As noted above, FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a microelectronicprocessing chamber having an open-faced cup structure which isconfigured to rotate about a substrate holder. In particular, FIG. 2illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of microelectronicprocessing chamber 30 with rotatable case 32 having sidewalls arrangedalong opposing sides of substrate holder 14 as well as underneathsubstrate holder 14. Rotatable case 32, however, does not include a topportion and, therefore, does not enclose substrate holder 14. In such aconfiguration, microelectronic processing chamber 30 may include some ofthe same components as microelectronic processing chamber 10 describedabove in reference to FIG. 1A. In particular, microelectronic processingchamber 30 may include substrate holder 14, shaft 20, and dispense arm24. Such components may include similar characteristics as thosedescribed for components with the same reference numbers in FIG. 1A. Inparticular, shaft 20 and substrate holder 14 may be configured tosupport microelectronic topography W. In addition, dispense arm 24 maybe configured to introduce processing fluids into the chamber, althoughother means for introducing processing fluids may be used.

In some embodiments, microelectronic processing chamber 30 may includedistinct rotation mechanisms to rotate case 32 and substrate holder 14,such as described for microelectronic processing chamber 10 in FIG. 1Awith rotation mechanisms 18 and 22 respectively configured to rotatecasing 12 and substrate holder 14. The inclusion of distinct rotationmechanisms, however, are not shown in FIG. 2 to illustrate analternative embodiment in which a single rotation mechanism is used torotate substrate holder 14 and case 32. In particular, microelectronicprocessing chamber 30 is shown in FIG. 2 as having rotation mechanism 39coupled to shaft 38, which may in turn be used to rotate case 32. Inaddition, rotation mechanism 39 may, in some embodiments, be coupled toshaft 20, which may in turn rotate substrate holder 14.

Rotation mechanism 39 may be configured to rotate substrate holder 14and case 32 either independently or dependently. In addition, rotationmechanism 39 may be configured to rotate substrate holder 14 and case 32in the same direction and/or opposite directions. Furthermore, rotationmechanism 39 may be configured to rotate either or both of substrateholder 14 and case 32 in a single fixed direction or in both clockwiseand counterclockwise directions. In some embodiments, rotation mechanism39 may be programmed with or programmable for specific speed, directionof rotation, duration, and frequency for particular processes ofmicroelectronic processing chamber 30. In other embodiments, suchprogram instruction adaptations may be a separate feature withinmicroelectronic processing chamber 30, but may be configured to accessrotation mechanism 39. As with microelectronic processing chamber 10 inFIGS. 1A and 1B, substrate holder 14 may not be configured to rotate inmicroelectronic processing chamber 30 in some embodiments and,therefore, rotation mechanism 39 may be used to exclusively rotate case32 in some cases.

As shown in FIG. 2, microelectronic processing chamber 30 may includecasing 34 used to enclose case 32 and substrate holder 14. In somecases, casing 34 may include similar characteristics as casing 12described above in reference to FIG. 1A for microelectronic processingchamber 10. In particular, casing 34 may be the outermost case ofmicroelectronic processing chamber 30 in some embodiments. In othercases, casing 34 may be a container interior to the chamber apparatus.In either of such cases, casing 34 may include one or more of outlets 35by which to output processing fluids, just as case 32 may include out ormore drains 36 by which to output processing fluids. In addition, casing34 may include one or more inlets for introducing processing fluids intothe chamber. In some embodiments, casing 34 may be fixed and, therefore,may not be configured to rotate. In other embodiments, microelectronicprocessing chamber 30 may be configured to rotate casing 34. Inparticular, microelectronic processing chamber 30 may, in some cases,include shaft 16 and rotation mechanism 18 coupled to casing 34. Inother embodiments, a shaft may be incorporated within or about shaft 38and rotation mechanism 39 or a different rotation mechanism may beconfigured to rotate the shaft. In any case, shafts 20 and 39 may besealably moveable within casing 34.

A flowchart of an exemplary method for processing a microelectronictopography using a chamber which has a case configured to rotate about asubstrate holder, such as described in reference to FIGS. 1A-2, isillustrated in FIG. 3. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates a methodincluding block 40 in which a microelectronic topography is positionedupon a substrate holder of a processing chamber, such as shown in FIGS.1A-2 with microelectronic topography W positioned upon substrate holder14. In addition, the method includes block 42 in which themicroelectronic topography is exposed to fluid within the processchamber. The exposure of processing fluid to microelectronictopographies within microelectronic processing chambers 10 and 30 arenot shown in FIGS. 1A-2 to simplify the drawings.

The exposure of processing fluid to microelectronic topographies may, insome embodiments, include dispensing the processing fluid upon themicroelectronic topography within the chamber, such as from dispense arm24 as described in reference to FIGS. 1A-2, for example. In someembodiments, the exposure may include continually or periodicallydispensing a processing fluid upon the microelectronic topography. Insome cases, the dispensed fluid may be continually or periodicallydrained from the chamber such that a fresh supply of the processingfluid is provided to the topography during processing. In otherembodiments, the fluid may be dispensed to a fixed level above themicroelectronic topography and the topography may be processed from thedefinite amount. Alternatively, block 42 may include filling the chamberwithout the substrate holder therein. In such cases, the substrateholder with the microelectronic topography arranged thereon may besubsequently immersed within the bath of fluid. In yet otherembodiments, a combination of dispensing the fluid upon themicroelectronic topography and immersing the topography within the fluidmay be used for block 42.

In any case, the method may further include block 44 in which a case ofthe processing chamber disposed on opposing sides of the substrateholder is rotated. Such a process may refer to the descriptions ofrotatable casing 12 in FIGS. 1A and 1B or rotatable case 32 in FIG. 2.In particular, block 44 may include rotating the case in either aclockwise or counterclockwise direction. In addition, the rotation ofthe case may generally be between approximately 0 rpm and approximately8000 rpm, or more specifically between approximately 40 rpm andapproximately 1200 rpm. Furthermore, the rotation of the case may becontinual or periodic. In some cases, the speed, duration, and/orfrequency of rotation of the case may agitate the fluid to a degreesufficient to inhibit the formation of bubbles upon the surface of themicroelectronic topography as well as abolish any bubbles, if any,formed upon the surface prior to rotation.

As noted above, preventing the formation of bubbles upon a surface of amicroelectronic topography during a deposition process, particularlyduring an electroless plating operation, may advantageously aid informing a film with less thickness variation across a substrate.Exemplary rotational speeds to induce such agitation may generally bebetween approximately 40 rpm and approximately 1200 rpm, which theduration of may be as short as approximately 5 seconds up to continualrotation throughout the deposition process. In embodiments in which therotation of the case is stopped during a deposition process, the downtime may be minimal, such as between approximately 0.5 seconds and 10seconds in order to minimize the generation of bubbles. Faster orshorter rotational speeds and longer or shorter durations andfrequencies than the ones noted above, however, may be employed,depending on the deposition chemistry and the layer to be formed.

In any case, the method may, in some embodiments, include block 46 inwhich the substrate holder upon which the microelectronic topography ispositioned rotates. In some embodiments, the substrate holder may berotated at the same time as the case, which as described in more detailbelow may be advantageous for many reasons. In some cases, the rotationsof the substrate holder and case may have the same schedule forinitiating and terminating rotation. In other cases, the rotations ofthe substrate holder and case may be skewed (i.e., for at least aportion of time during processing of the microelectronic topography). Inparticular, rotations of the substrate holder and the case may havediffering initiation and/or termination times in some embodiments. Insome cases, the rotation of the substrate holder and the case mayalternate such that only one of the two components is rotating at atime. In other cases, the method may include a combination ofsimultaneous rotations and non-coincidental rotations. In any case, therates, duration and frequencies of rotations noted above for the casewith the processing chamber may be generally applied to the rotation ofthe substrate holder. The case and the substrate holder may be conductedwith substantially similar or different rates, durations, and/orfrequencies. In yet other embodiments, block 46 and the rotation of thesubstrate holder may be omitted from the method described in referenceto FIG. 3 and, as such, block 46 is outlined with a dotted lineindicating the step is optional.

FIG. 3 notes on the right hand side of the flowchart that alternativesequences may be employed for steps 42, 44, and 46. In particular, themethod is not specific to the order in which the processing fluid isexposed to microelectronic topography, the time at which rotation of thecase is initiated, or the time at which the rotation of the substrateholder is initiated. As such, the method is not necessarily restrictedto the order of blocks illustrated in FIG. 3. In particular, theinitiation of the rotation of the case and the substrate holder may beswitched in some embodiments as in the exemplary sequence of steps notedbelow. In addition or alternatively, exposure of the processing fluid tothe microelectronic topography may occur subsequent to initiation of oneor both of the rotation processes. In yet other embodiments, the methodmay be performed with any two or all three processes occurringsimultaneously.

Regardless of the order in which steps 42, 44, and 46 are performed, themethod may include changing the direction of rotation of at least one ofthe substrate holder and the case as noted in block 48 of the flowchartillustrated in FIG. 3. Such a change in rotation may, in some cases, beconducted during a processing step such as during a depositing, etching,cleaning, or drying process of the microelectronic topography. In otherembodiments, the step may be conducted between processes performed uponthe microelectronic topography to clear fluid from the surface of themicroelectronic topography. As noted below, in some embodiments, thedirection of rotation of only one of the substrate holder and the casemay be changed in correspondence to block 48 such that the relativedirection of rotations between the substrate holder and case is switched(i.e., switched from rotating in the same direction to rotating inopposite directions or vice versa). In other embodiments, both of thesubstrate holder and the case may be changed, either at the same time orat different times. In some embodiments, the method may continue tochange the direction of rotation of the substrate holder and/or the caseat a specified frequency for an indefinite or predetermined number oftimes during processing of the microelectronic topography. In somecases, the speed and duration of rotation for the component having thechanged direction of rotation may be similar to the speed and durationschedule specified in relation to block 44. In other embodiments, thespeed and rotation of the component may change with the direction ofrotation.

As noted above, it may be advantageous to rotate the case and thesubstrate holder at the same time in some cases. In particular, rotatingthe case in the opposite direction as the direction of the substrateholder may serve to propel the processing fluid toward the centerportion of the microelectronic topography, counteracting the centrifugalforce of the rotating substrate holder. More specifically, the highfriction forces of the processing fluid flowing towards the rotatingcase walls by the centrifugal forces of the substrate holder will createlocal vortexes returning the fluid towards the center of the topography.Such a configuration may be particularly advantageous for electrolessplating processes since the deposition of the film is rooted fromreaction of the fluid with the topography surface. In some embodiments,the counter-rotation of the case and the substrate may be specificallyconfigured to provide uniform distribution of the deposition solutionacross the topography and, as a consequence, thickness variation of aresulting film may be reduced. FIGS. 1A and 2 illustrate embodiments inwhich a case and substrate holder of a microelectronic processingchamber are rotated in opposite directions and, therefore, illustrateexamples of the aforementioned counter-rotation configuration. Theconfiguration is not restricted, however, to counter-clockwise rotationof the substrate holder and clockwise rotation of the case as shown inFIGS. 1A and 2. In particular, the case may be alternatively rotatedcounter-clockwise and the substrate holder may be rotated clockwise.

In contrast to counter-rotation of the case and the substrate holder,the removal of fluid upon the topography may be efficiently performed byembodiments in which the case is rotated in the same direction as thedirection of the substrate holder, as depicted in FIG. 1B, for example.In particular, fluid may be removed from the topography surface due tothe centrifugal force of the substrate holder. In addition,reapplication of the fluid back to the topography surface may beprevented due to the centrifugal force of the case to hold the removedfluid against the sidewalls of the case. The configuration ofco-rotation is not limited to counter-clockwise rotation and, therefore,case 22 and substrate 14 in FIG. 1B may alternatively be rotatedclockwise to facilitate the removal of fluid from the topography.Although not illustrated, clockwise or counter-clockwise co-rotationconfigurations may similarly be applied to microelectronic processingchamber 30 in FIG. 3. It is noted that changing the direction ofrotation of at least one of the substrate holder and the case is notnecessarily needed for the method described herein and, therefore, block48 and the associated process may be omitted from the method in somecases.

As noted above, the configurations of the microelectronic processingchambers illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2 and the method presented in FIG. 3may be particularly applicable to deposition processes, and in somecases, particularly applicable to electroless plating processes. Thechamber configurations and method, however, are not necessarily solimited. In particular, the chamber configurations and method may beapplied to any type of process used to fabricate a microelectronictopography, including but not limited to etching, cleaning, drying, aswell as deposition techniques other than electroless plating. In someembodiments, the chamber configurations and method described inreference to FIGS. 1A-3 may be applied to a combination of differentprocesses. For example, an exemplary sequence of processes may include adeposition process, a rinsing process, and a drying process all within asingle processing chamber, and in some cases, utilizing the adaptationsof co-rotation and counter-rotation of the case and substrate holder.

An exemplary series of steps used to fulfill such a sequence of processsteps using the chamber configurations and method described herein mayinclude loading a microelectronic topography into a substrate holder ofa microelectronic processing chamber and rotating the substrate holder.Thereafter, the microelectronic topography may be exposed to adeposition solution and the deposition process may be started whileemploying counter-rotation of the chamber case and substrate holder tocreate a counterflow of the solution from the chamber walls towards thecenter of the topography and, consequently, provide uniform coverageover the topography. Upon commencing the film deposition, the series ofsteps may continue with changing the rotation direction of the chambercase or substrate holder to facilitate co-rotation and invoke removal ofthe deposition solution from the topography. In addition, the depositionsolution may be drained from the chamber.

Next, the microelectronic topography may be exposed to a rinsing fluidwhile employing counter-rotation of the substrate holder and the chambercase and subsequently using co-rotation to clear away any remainingdeposition solution residue and byproduct debris. Subsequent thereto, aseries of steps may be conducted which include draining the rinsingfluid from the chamber, opening the chamber, and drying the wafer viathe open chamber. In particular, the process may include firstaccelerating the chamber case and the substrate holder in samerotational direction and then opening the chamber to allow immediatedrying of the wafer surface. In some cases, the process may use alow-surface tension fluid, such as an alcohol solution in water, to drythe topography in addition or alternative to opening the chamber. It isnoted that other processes may also be included and/or the order ofsteps may be altered in the abovementioned sequence of processes and,therefore, the method described herein is not necessarily limitedthereto.

As noted above, a method for passivating hardware within amicroelectronic processing chamber is outlined in a flowchart shown inFIG. 4. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates a method including block 50 inwhich hardware of a microelectronic processing chamber is exposed to anorganic compound. The term “organic compound,” as used herein, may referto a compound including at least one carbon atom and at least onehydrogen atom. In general, the organic compound is preferably selectedto be inactive with the processing fluids intended to be used within themicroelectronic processing chamber. For example, in cases in which themicroelectronic processing chamber is an electroless deposition chamber,the organic compound is preferably non-reactive with the depositionsolutions to be used in the chamber. An exemplary type of organiccompound that may be used to expose hardware of an electrolessdeposition chamber as well as other types of processing chambers mayinclude but is not limited to carboxylic acids.

The organic compound may serve to pretreat the hardware surfaces suchthat a polar bond may be formed with a subsequently applied agent asnoted in block 52. In some embodiments, the agent may be heated or, morespecifically, applied at a temperature between 60° C. and approximately120° C. and, in some cases, at approximately 80° C. The heated agentoffers fast polarizing molecules to passivate the wetted surfaces of thehardware. As a result, active centers of the hardware which may have anaffinity to adhering films thereto, such as by electroless depositionprocesses, may be neutralized, preventing deposition of films thereon.The general chemical equation of the thermal passivation process isR4-N—OH+R—OH═R4-N—O—R, wherein R is an akyl group, R4-N—OH is thepolarizing agent, R—OH is the organic compound, and R4-N—O—R is thelayer of passivation on the hardware. An exemplary polarizing agent thathas shown to be particularly effect is tetramethlyammonium hydroxide(TMAH), but other chemicals known for strong polarizing effect withorganic compounds may be used. In general, the thermal passivationprocess may be conducted for a duration between 0.5 hours andapproximately 4.0 hours, although shorter and longer time periods may beemployed.

Subsequent to the exposure to the polarizing agent, the method mayinclude a film deposition process within the microelectronic processingchamber as shown in block 54. Due to the thermal passivation technique,the film may be inhibited from forming on the hardware of the chamber.It is noted that the technique described herein and the materials notedabove are particularly applicable to passivating plastic hardwarecomponents, which are commonly employed with electroless depositionchambers. As such, the method described in reference to FIG. 4 may beparticularly applicable for but is not limited to passivating hardwareof an electroless deposition chamber.

It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure that this invention is believed to provide improvedapparatus for processing microelectronic topographies and a method ofuse of such an apparatus. In addition, a method for passivating hardwareof microelectronic processing chambers is provided. Furthermodifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of thisdescription. For example, although the chamber configurations andmethods are specifically referenced for applications of electrolessplating techniques and chambers, the chambers and methods are notnecessarily so limited and may be applied to any type of microelectronicchamber or process. Accordingly, this description is to be construed asillustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to beunderstood that the forms of the invention shown and described hereinare to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. Elements andmaterials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein,parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of theinvention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to oneskilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of theinvention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in thefollowing claims.

1. A method for passivating hardware within a microelectronic processingchamber, comprising: exposing hardware of a microelectronic processingchamber to an organic compound; and exposing the hardware to an agentconfigured to form polar bonds with the organic compound.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein step of exposing the hardware to the agent comprisesexposing the hardware to the agent at a temperature betweenapproximately 60° C. and approximately 120° C.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein step of exposing the hardware to the agent comprises exposingthe hardware to the agent for a duration between approximately 0.5 hoursand approximately 4.0 hours.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the agentcomprises tetramethylammonium hydrodroxide.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the organic compound comprises a carboxylic acid.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising depositing a film upon a microelectronictopography arranged within the microelectronic processing chambersubsequent to the step of exposing the hardware to the agent.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the step of depositing the film comprisesdepositing the film utilizing electroless plating techniques.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the hardware is plastic.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the microelectronic processing chamber is anelectroless plating chamber.